British Pilot Sets A Record With 12th Straight Podium
Appearance
Paul Bonhomme of Britain won the first-ever Red Bull Air Race in
New York on Sunday with a scintillating performance under pressure
in front of the most spectacular setting in the eight-year history
of the sport. Nigel Lamb took second place in a thrilling four-way
battle between the Statue of Liberty and Lower Manhattan while
American Kirby Chambliss got his second straight podium with third
place.
Paul Bonhomme Celebrates New York Win
Bonhomme, the defending champion, prevailed in front of a huge
crowd of 75,000 spectators watching from both sides of the Hudson
River and a live U.S. television audience with one superb run after
another through three pressure-packed rounds. Bonhomme had finished
behind Arch for the last three races and was desperate to get back
on top after the Team Abu Dhabi racer cut his lead in the
championship to just one point. Arch pushed Bonhomme to his limits
but saw his three-race winning streak shattered in dramatic fashion
when he hit a pylon in the final 4 ending any hope of a podium
finish.
Bonhomme stopped the clock at 1:10.01, the day's fastest time on
the 3.5 mile track of 13 Air Gates set up on the Hudson River
between the Statue of Liberty and New York's skyline. Bonhomme
showed consistency throughout the race, with times of 1:10.09 in
the Top 12 round and 1:10.07 in the Super 8 before lowering the
mark again to 1:10.01 in the final. That was a full 2.05 seconds
faster than Lamb and 2.08 faster than Chambliss. Arch was 5.34 back
-- hurt by the six-second penalty for hitting the pylon.
Bonhomme Flies Past Statue Of Liberty
It was Bonhomme’s 12th straight podium -- a record -- and
he now leads the championship with 53 points while Arch is second
overall with 48 points. Team Breitling’s Nigel Lamb is third
on 47 and Chambliss has 35.
“It's very good -- and what a setting,” Bonhomme
said. “I can appreciate the view now that I’ve finished
racing. Great day. I concentrated on me, my airplane and the track.
And now I think we can celebrate a bit.” Lamb, who got his
third second-place finish this year after getting the same result
in Abu Dhabi and Rio de Janeiro, called it “a fantastic
result”. Chambliss, the 2006 world champion, was delighted to
be on the podium in his home race. “As an American, I’m
very, very proud,” he said. “It’ll sink-in in a
while. I have to personally thank Hannes for hitting that gate.
Thank you Hannes!”
Arch was gracious in defeat on the biggest stage in the 49-race
history of the Red Bull Air Race, a city where organizers have
dreamed of staging a race since the world’s fastest growing
motorsport was launched in 2003. It has been an FAI recognized
world championship competition since 2005. Arch said he
pulled out the stops to try to beat Bonhomme and get what would
have been a record fourth straight victory and just barely hit the
Air Gate, an inflatable pylon that he clipped with his wing.
Nigel Lamb New York RedBull Air Race
“It was a good run,” said Arch, the 2008 champion.
“It was just a couple of centimeters that made the
difference. I would rather lose here like that in style, going for
it, than completely screw it up. So I think those guys in front of
me owe me a beer.”
The New York race was the fifth in the eight-race championship.
It was a bit of a disappointment for the other American, Michael
Goulian. The man from Massachusetts finished seventh. Pete McLeod
of Canada, by contrast, had an excellent race and finished fifth to
move up to fifth place in the championship with 29 points.